In Reply to: Greatest Comeback Ever Video - Stanford 2005? posted by UCLAW on February 05, 2026 at 22:02:46
When UCLA went down by 21 with under 8:30 to go, I remember a number of Bruin fans around me getting up and leaving, which I thought was seriously weak sauce. For one, it wasn't like it was a sell-out crowd that might snarl one up in traffic for ages trying to exit. Mostly, though, I felt that that team, which was loaded with heart and had already pulled off some impressive comebacks that year, deserved their fans' support until the very end.
As UCLA battled back, the Bruin fans who hadn't bailed were raucous, especially compared to Furd's anemic energy. When Drew lobbed the game-winner in OT capping off one of the most improbable and impressive comebacks anyone could ever hope to see, we all lost our collective ((excrement)).
Two things stand out to me from the post-game. One was seeing Rodney Van outside the south end of the stadium chatting with some young kids. He was a class act and added to my pride in that '05 team. The second was getting back to the parking lot and seeing a number of Bruin fans who'd clearly left early only to learn that they'd just missed out on one of the most epic finishes in UCLA's history. The looks on their faces...you'd have thought the Bruins were the ones on the losing end of that comeback. I'd have felt sorry for them but...screw'm.
Also, damn, but MoJo Drew was a joy to watch run the ball in blue and gold.
=============
One pregame note: While tailgating in the lot south of the stadium pregame, someone in our group spotted Eric Byrnes nearby and called him over. Byrnes ended up regaling us with the not-safe-for-radio version of a story he'd once told on the Jim Rome Show of surprising a would-be burglar who had the bad luck to break into Byrnes' apartment when he was at UCLA. We were almost in tears from laughing so hard.